‘Gbenga is the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a non-profit organisation that works to connect under-served young Africans with digital opportunities and ensures the protection of their online rights. Paradigm Initiative has also worked in communities across Nigeria since 2007 and across Africa since 2017, building experience, community trust, and an organisational culture that positions it as a leading non-governmental organisation in ICT for Development, Digital Rights and Digital Inclusion.
The organisation promotes a rights-respecting continent through teams in sub-regional offices in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, with interventions spread across more than 27 African countries. Paradigm Initiative pushes for an Internet that is open, accessible, and affordable to all.
‘Gbenga’s journey into technology and social entrepreneurship was chartered with a firm foundation in Electronic and Electrical Engineering acquired at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. Having grown his career from local volunteering to the global stage, where he is currently shaping and influencing tech policies, his drive to effect positive change, empower young Africans, and ensure none is denied the opportunity to use a computer has propelled him into various leadership roles in the tech sphere.
As a strong believer in continuous education and learning, he did not just stop at Obafemi Awolowo University; he has gone ahead to attend Executive Education Programs at Lagos Business School, New York Group for Technology Transfer, Oxford University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Santa Clara University, the University of the Pacific, INSEAD and King’s College London. His background and experience, consultancies and assignments completed for numerous institutions, including Microsoft, Harvard University and United Nations Agencies, among others, in over 30 countries, have equipped him well with a strategic approach to addressing digital rights and inclusion challenges globally. This is also demonstrated by his influence which straddles the world. His contributions towards global initiatives have also been instrumental in addressing pressing challenges in digital rights and inclusion, influencing policies and continuous discourse on aspects such as Internet freedom and emerging technologies and Artificial Intelligence, among others. He is a member of the Swiss-based International Panel on the Information Environment that was launched at the 2023 Nobel Prize Summit and whose mission is to provide the most actionable scientific knowledge about threats to the world’s information environment.
‘Gbenga is among 10 high-level and eminent persons appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr António Guterres, to serve on his inaugural Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Leadership Panel.
He is also a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year, a former member of the United Nations Committee of eLeaders on Youth and ICT, a CyberStewards Fellow, Crans Montana Forum Fellow, Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, Ashoka Fellow, Our Common Future Fellow and Cordes Fellow.
‘Gbenga has further served as a member of the Presidential committees on Harmonization of Information Technology, Telecommunications and Broadcasting Sectors (2006) and Roadmap for the Achievement of Accelerated Universal Broadband Infrastructure and Services Provision (2013), and was listed by CNN as one of the Top 10 African Tech Voices on Twitter and by Ventures Africa as one of 40 African Legends Under 40. In addition to the above, he advised the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Data Privacy during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and is advising the World Economic Forum on its Operationalising Trust Project to develop a rights-respecting Data Policy for businesses.
He is married to Temilade Sesan, PhD, an expert on Energy Poverty and Development.
